Archaeological path Cvinger

The archaeological path that leads to Cvinger is 2.5 km long. It runs along forest paths and is signposted. Explanatory boards mark the starting points, the hillfort, the smelting zone and the barrows. The path that leads to Cvinger (256 m) is not demanding. The difference in altitude is only 60 m. The prehistoric hillfort on the Cvinger hill near Dolenjske Toplice dates from early Iron Age in the first millennium BC. In that period, fortified settlements, with ramparts, earthen barrows and artefacts made of iron obtained by smelting iron or gathered in the surrounding area, were known in Slovenia. Iron figured significantly in the trade between the inhabitants of Cvinger and the people living in northern Italy, the Alps, the Pannonian basin and the Balkans.As a result, the Dolenjska region began its involvement in early European history. An object of exceptional value is the bronze vessel known as the Vače situla (vedrica), which is one of the most important situla artefacts in Europe.